Industrial Context - History

 1940/50s 

• Music videos based on soundies technology - 16mm film clips with a magnetic soundtrack shown in a specially designed jukebox 
• shown at nightclubs, bars and restaurants 

1960s

• Music videos were being used as promotional tools
• They were usually videos showing a bands live performance 
• The Beatles
• The Beatles fell into the conventions of live performances but they started to develop the music video genre 
• The band had feature length films made such as 'A Hard Days Night' promoting their new album 
• They began to use animation as part of their visual story telling in 'Yellow Submarine'
• The Band members were still heavily featured in the videos (as themselves or as caricatures) as to promote the band.
• Bob Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' is often called the first music video with Dylan holding up cars with the songs lyrics. It was simple in structure but subverted the common expectations of music videos

1970s

• Technical advances allowed for more graphics to be used in music videos 
• Such things as green screens allowing for more visually dramatic and impressive videos such as Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.
• Shows such as Top of the Pops began with artists singing "live"
• Producers were beginning to see the power of music videos and their advertising potential so started to invest more money in them 

1980s

• MTV (Music Television) began in 1981 and was a platform for artists to show their music videos. 
• The first video shown in the service was 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles
• Large scale videos such as Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' increased views of MTV again increased the popularity of music videos. 
• The video cost $500K, was thirteen minutes long and when released in 1983, was played 3 - 5 times a day
• Videos began being used as art forms using claymation, pixilation and stop motion animation 

1990s onwards

• There became a rise in music video directors such as Mark Rannek and Machael Gondry 
• In a more modern society, the spread of information has become fast and prolific with platforms converging into one 
• This can be seen with streaming services such as Spotify and brand such as Apple, Amazon and YouTube expanding their service to include music and music videos.
• Videos began promoting desired lifestyles of being young, wealthy and fun as well as sometimes using a bands large audience reach to raise awareness of problems such as Hozier's 'Cherry Wine' focussing on domestic abuse.